‘It will be difficult to say goodbye but I’m very proud of the legacy I leave behind’ – Orton announces he will leave Vinery
After 25 years at the helm of Vinery Stud, which he effectively helped build from scratch, general manager Peter Orton has called time on his tenure at the famed Hunter Valley operation.
Since being head-hunted by its previous owner Dr Tom Simon a quarter of a century ago, Orton has successfully established Vinery as a breeding powerhouse with the Scone farm producing countless Group 1 winners, including the likes of Atlantic Jewel (Fastnet Rock) and Shamus Award (Snitzel) and more recently Russian Revolution (Snitzel), Artorius (Flying Artie) and Farnan (Not a Single Doubt).
Orton, who tuns 70 later this year, plans to hand over the reins ahead of the upcoming breeding season in order to concentrate on building up his own bloodstock portfolio and taking a more hands-on role on his boutique farm in Aberdeen (NSW), where he resides with his wife Adele.
“It’s been a very hard decision for me to make,” he told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“Vinery has been a big part of my life for the past 25 years, so it will be difficult to say goodbye but I’m very proud of the legacy I leave behind. I’m confident that the systems and the staff we now have in place at the farm will help ensure a very smooth transition, so I’m sure it will be business as usual once I’m gone.
“I haven’t set an exact timeframe on my departure but it will probably be around August time, before the next breeding season gets underway. I’m keen to step away so that it gives other people the opportunity to take on more responsibility, and I also want to spend more time on my own farm.”
Prior to his stint at Vinery, Orton had worked under John Messara for the best part of two decades, as the pair set about building the Arrowfield brand at Middlebrook Park, where its sole stallion was Rancher (Brave Lad).
In a move which would subsequently have a seismic impact on the nation’s breeding landscape, Orton played a key role in bringing Danehill (Danzig) to Australian shores for the first time in 1990. The imposing son of Danzig (Northern Dancer) quickly became a sensation at stud, and was crowned Australia’s leading sire on no fewer than nine occasions.
Orton revealed that Danehill’s impact would shape his thinking when he made the move to Vinery in 2000, a move which at the time was perhaps considered risky but one which gave him the opportunity to create a lasting legacy.
“There were some sleepless nights in the early days,” he told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“It was really hard to leave Arrowfield, because the business was very close to my heart. But Tom Simon was very forward-thinking, he sold his vision well and he also believed in me, which was obviously very important. I had 17 great years at Arrowfield, but I felt ready to take up a new challenge – and it definitely was a big challenge in those early days to get everything set up.”
Much of Vinery’s impact in the early days was down to US-based Grade 1 winner More Than Ready (Southern Halo), who first stood at the farm in 2001. The stallion shuttled to Vinery Stud for an extraordinary 19 consecutive years, leaving a lasting impact on the Australian breeding landscape and his name will feature in pedigrees in the stud book for many years to come.
A total of 85 stakes winners are among his progeny conceived at Vinery, a cohort which is headed by 12 Group 1 and these include eight-time Group 1 winner More Joyous, Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Samaready, Champagne Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) winner and VRC Derby winner Prized Icon, Queensland Derby (Gr 1, 2400m) winner Eagle Way, New Zealand Oaks (Gr 1, 2400m) winner More Than Sacred and South African elite-level winners Gimmethegreenlight and Entisaar.
Meanwhile, his Group 1 winners as a damsire include Bivouac (Exceed And Excel), Forbidden Love (All Too Hard), Miracles Of Life (Not A Single Doubt), Rebel Dane (California Dane), Wellington (All Too Hard), Celebrity Queen (Redoute’s Choice) and Atlante (Fastnet Rock).
He is the only stallion to be named Champion two-year-old sire in both the US and Australia.
“Of course I took the experiences and lessons I had learned at Arrowfield with me to Vinery. Danehill was everywhere at that time, so we decided to take a similar approach at Vinery and concentrate on the outcross. We were fortunate enough to bring More Than Ready over to stand at the farm, and things really took off from there because he put the farm on the map through his success.”
As well as its equine stars, which now include the current leader of the first season sires’ premiership in Ole Kirk (Written Tycoon), Orton is equally keen to pay tribute to the humans who have played such a fundamental role in Vinery’s success story.
Chief among them is long-standing bloodstock manager Adam White, who has been Orton’s right-hand man for the past two decades.
“The quality of people on the farm has inspired me just as much as the quality of our horses,” said Orton.
“We’ve had some really staff on the farm for a long time now, and we’ve also got some really good people who are fairly new to the business which is why I’m so positive about the future. It’s so important to have good young people joining the business, because it keeps things fresh and they bring new ideas and a new perspective with them.
“But you also need experienced heads, which is why Adam has been so important. He knows Vinery as well as anyone, having been there such long time. He’s been right by my side for many, many years and he’s done a tremendous job. We’ve always worked well together and I’m sure he will continue to do a great job once I’ve left, in fact he will probably be pleased to see the back of me!”
Orton has witnessed significant structural change across his tenure at Vinery, not least when Dr Simon joined forces with several of Australia’s most prominent breeders and businessmen back in 2005.
They included Magic Millions and Harvey Norman co-founder Gerry Harvey, his close friend John Singleton (before he subsequently sold his share to property tycoon Neil Werrett of Black Caviar fame) and the recently deceased Quiksilver founder Alan Green, who all came together to form a powerful syndicate which more recently welcomed Malaysian billionaire Ananda Krishnan, owner of the adjacent Kia Ora Stud.
The 2003 merger with Kia Ora saw the combined operation expand its footprint to 5,500 acres of land in the Segenhoe Valley, thereby become the largest thoroughbred operation in the vicinity.
According to Orton, this consolidation was a natural progression for Vinery and perhaps even a necessity with the farm operating in an increasingly competitive breeding market, not to mention a tough economic climate more generally.
“I’ve seen a lot of change in the industry since I started out at Vinery, and particularly over the last ten years,” he said.
“We’re going through a bit of a tough time at the moment, as is the country as a whole, but I’m sure we’ll come through it. The industry is becoming more and more corporate, which makes it very hard for the smaller breeders to make a profit or even stay afloat, but unfortunately that’s the nature of the game.
“We are also having to deal with constantly changing weather patterns, with droughts one minute and floods the next, but overall the industry and the people working in it are pretty resilient.”
As for his own future, Orton is keen to embrace a somewhat more sedate lifestyle but insists he will never fully step away from the industry, having acquired a fascination with animals and in particular horses during his formative years spent on the family’s farm near Myrtleford, in Victoria.
“I’m keen to enjoy life but I’ll never retire fully,” he said.
“I’ve got a few of my own broodmares, one of them is in foal to I Am Invincible which is exciting and there will be plenty to keep me occupied on the farm, so I won’t be sitting on my hands for long.”
Tributes to Orton’s colossal contribution to Vinery were paid by current shareholders Katie Page, the CEO of Harvey Norman, and Steve McCann, Kia Ora Stud chairman and Star Entertainment’s CEO.
“Over his 25 years leading Vinery, Gerry and I have been the beneficiaries of Peter Orton’s peerless expertise, wise counsel and vision – both personally and professionally,” said Page.
“To say we are so grateful to Peter and to Adele is such an understatement. Our great friendship and mutual respect continue beyond the farm, and we look forward to seeing them [at the Magic Millions Sale] in January.”
“Peter has for many years been one of the most respected thoroughbred experts in the country and has made a tremendous contribution to both Vinery and the broader industry,” added McCann.
“I would like to thank Peter personally, and on behalf of all of our clients and Vinery’s current and past shareholders.”
Orton also revealed on Tuesday that has resigned from the board of the Thoroughbred Breeders NSW, after years in the role. He will be replaced by Angus Lamont of Kooringal Stud.